Wrapping mechanism



June 17, 1947.

o. FREGEOLLE WRAPPING MECHANISM Filed July 27, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1arm/PI? Ail/mag:

June 17, 1947. I o; FREGEOLLE 2,422,232

WRAPPING MECHANISM Filed July 27, 1945 2 Sheets-Shegc- 2 Mama PatentedJune 17, 1947 Nl'lD STATE ATENT OFFICE WRAPPING MECHANISM ApplicationJuly 27, 1945, Serial No. 607,300

2 Claims.

This invention relates to knitting machines of the circular, independentneedle type particularly to the horn forming a part of the mechanism forproducing wrap patterns in knitted fabrics. The invention isparticularly valuable for use in machines of the superposed, coaxialcylinder type, such, for example, as that disclosed in co-pendingapplication for U. S. Patent #559,136, filed October 14, 1944, althoughit i not necessarily limited thereto. However, since the invention wasmade for use in such a two cylinder machine of the Banner type, it willbe described in connection therewith. As is coin mon in two cylindermachines and described in the application mentioned above, the machineis provided with two cylinders in axial alignment one above the otherand rotatable at the same speed. Double ended needles are used which arecapable of knitting in either cylinder and these are associated withmeans whereby they are operated to knit or to be transferred from onecylinder to the other.

The wrap mechanism of which the present invention forms a part is shownin the above mentioned application as an eocentrically mounted spindleprovided at its lower end with a Wrapping head which may be of any oneof several types used on single cylinder circular knitting machines, thecylinders being separated sufficiently and the wrap spindle so mountedthat the wrapping head can perform its usual wrapping operations insubstantially the usual way in relation to needles knitting in the lowercylinder.

A wrap horn forms a part of the wrap mechanism and functions in the sameway as in single cylinder machines. Such horns and their purpose havenot only been shown and described in numerous patents but have been usedfor many years so that no detailed description of their Chadactor andfunctions is required here.

The Wrap horn of this invention is a modification of the usual type ofhorn and, as already stated, will be described in connection with theBanner type of two cylinder circular knitting machines disclosed in theco-pending application for U. S. Patent #559,136 for which it wasparticularly designed. The drawings are also based upon this machine andin them:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of the wrap horn of this inventionviewed from below together with the upper needle cylinder and a wrappinghead;

Fig. 2 is a View illustrating the eiiect of the usual way of wrappingupon the leading needle of a group being wrapped;

Y which also illustrates diagrammatically the knitting cams and thepaths followed by the needles working in the lower cylinder and by theiroperating sliders, one needle and one slider being shown.

As is well-known, the needle cylinders l and 2 and wrapping head 3rotate at the same angular velocity but because the diameter of thewrapping head is much smaller than that of the cylinder the linearvelocity of the cylinder is much the greater. Because of this andbecause the wrapping head is eccentrically mounted so as to overlap theneedle cylinder when in operating position, one or more wrapping eyeletsswing out across the needle circle and then back inside of it again towrap one or more yarns around any one or more of the needles capable ofpassing by the eyelets while the eyelets are outside of the needlecircle. The needles to be wrapped may be selected in the usual way.

Since in two cylinder knitting machines of the oo-axial type the needleswhen knitting in the lower cylinder 2 nevertheless project at times intothe upper cylinder i it is essential that they be kept in alignment sothat they can enter the needle slots of the upper cylinder withoutclifficulty. In Fig. 2 the lower of the upper cylinder 5 and the upperend of lower cylinder 2 are shown. It is assumed that a six needle panelwrap is being made. A shown in Fig. 2, a wrap yarn d extends from thelast needle 5 wrapped in a previous course under and over wrap horn l5and around the first needle l to be wrapped to an eyelet 3 of thewrapping head 3. Needle 5 and the two to the right thereof are shown atwrapping level. This level is also indicated at 9 in Fig. 4L. Thereafterthe needles are raised still higher as shown at ill and H in Fig. 4 toclear the latches of the old loops of both the body and wrap yarns. inFig. 4 the path followed by the needle operating sliders is indicated bythe numeral i2 for the needles being wrapped and by l3 for the otherneedles, the common parts of the slider paths being generally indicatedby it.

Referring again to Fig. 2 it will be seen that during the wrappingoperation and the initial stages of the knitting movements the needlesproject a considerable distance from the lower cylinder 2- withoutsupport other than that provided by the cylinder slots. As is wellknown, the tension on the wrap yarn, caused by the path fol,- lowed byit around the Wrap horn, is unavoidably 3 heavy so that, under theconditions above described, it is almost inevitable that the leadinneedle I will be sprung out of line as shown in Fig. 2 and it is quitepossible that it will be sprung to such an extent that the chamfer withwhich the lower end of each upper cylinder slot is usually provided isinsufilcient to insure that this needle will enter its slot, such as it,in the upper cylinder. This is particularly likely to happen when aplurality of yarns are being wrapped around the same needles because,obviously, the pull against the leading needle is increased. A secondwrap yarn it from a second wrap eyelet ii is indicated in the drawing.In any event, the effect upon the needle and, consequently, upon thefabric through such springing and striking the lower end of slot i5 isbad. One of the purposes of the present invention is to eliminate suchspringing by removing the strain of the wrap yarn from needle 1 so thatit remains in accurate alignment with its slot l5 without other supportthan that supplied by the corresponding slot of the lower cylinder 2.

As is well known and as will be seen in Figs. 1 and 4, the wrap horn 6tapers substantially continuously from one end to the other. At thepoint on the wrap horn at which the wrap yarn or yarns will bepositioned when the leading nee dle 1 to be wrapped is substantially atthe height shown in Figs. 2 and 3 or about to enter the upper cylinderslot 55 the horizontal dimension of wrap horn 9 is substantially reducedto form a notch lid. Thus at this point the inside contour of the wraphorn is stepped outwardly abruptly. The result is that the tension onthe wrap yarn is abruptly and momentarily released so that it isrelatively loose.

Therefore, the leading needle '3 is not sprung out of line as shown inFig. 2 but remains in alignment with its upper cylinder slot i5 as shownin Fig. 3. In Fig. 3 the looseness of the wrap yarn 4 at this instant isalso shown in somewhat exaggerated manner to make the operation of thispart of the invention perfectly clear. Thus without encumbering thelimited space between the two cylinders with an additional needle guideing device this serious difficulty has been overcome very simply andinexpensively.

A further feature of the wrap horn of this invention is best shown inFig. 4. Ordinarily a wrap horn, viewed in elevation, is substantiallystraight. The tip it? of the wrap horn of this invention, as seen inFig. 4, is bent upwardly and then downwardly. It follows substantiallythe paths of the needle hooks while they are passing from the wrappingpoint to the knitting point.

Thepurpose of curving the wrap horn in this way is to insure that thenewly produced wrap will remain above the needle latches until the oldloops are cast 011. A difficulty in this respect is encountered withwrap horn of the conventional shape. By this invention, as will beevident without further explanation, the wrap yarns by being made tofollow the path of the needle hooks are definitely and progressivelymaintained at the proper levels until they are about to be knit.

A further improvement provided by the wrap horn of this invention isshown in .Figs. 1 and 4. It consists of a thin rod or wire 59 solderedor otherwise fastened to the inner end of the wrap 4 horn or to itssupporting shaft 29 and extendil'lg upwardly at an angle as shown. Thiswire insures that the wrap yarn or yarns will not catch upon the innerend of wrap horn 6 or its supporting shaft 29.

Also, if desired, the wrap horn may be provided with a small downwardlyextending brush 2| adiacent its inner end, the purpose of which is tohold down loose ends of yarn and keep them inside the needle circle sothat they cannot possibly be caught by the hooks of any of the needlesand knit into the fabric. Such loose ends occur, for example, when ayarn change is made.

Although this invention has been described in connection with aparticular type of two cylinder knitting machine, its use is not limitedthereto or to two cylinder machines of any type. To the contrary, theinvention is considered as having a breadth adequate to cover the use ofthe invention on any type of knitting machine. a

I claim: 7

1. For a knitting machine having co-axial superposed cylinders andneedles adapted to knit in either cylinder, a rigid wrap horn, adaptedto be substantially horizontally positioned within the cylinders, theinner edge of which is of unbroken curvature in the direction of its tipto a point at which a needle or the leading needle of a group of needlesin the lower cylinder which have been selected for wrapping areabout toenter the upper cylinder, said curvature being abruptly stepped inwardlyat this point and then continuing unbroken to the tip so that the strainimposed by the wrap yarn upon the leading needle selected for wrappingwill be relieved when said needle is about to enter theupper cylinder.

2. For a knitting machine having co-axial superposed cylinders andneedles adapted to knit in either cylinder and to be transferred fromone cylinder to the other, a rigid wrap horn, adapted to besubstantilaly horizontally positioned within the cylinders, the inneredge of which is of unbroken curvature in the direction of itstip to apoint at which a needle or the leading needle of a group of needles inthe lower cylinder which 'have been selected for wrapping are about toenter the upper cylinder, saidcurvature-be'ing abruptly stepped inwardlyat this point to create a substantially rectangular shoulder and thencontinuing unbroken to the tip so that the strain imposed by the wrapyarn upon the leading nee dle selected for wrapping will, be relievedwhen said needle is about to enter the upper cylinder.

OSCAR FREGEOLLE.

REFERENQES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

